


Reaper

by Cast_Away



Category: Original Work
Genre: Humor, Immortality, Multi, Panic Attacks, Sarcasm, Violence, british villian, but cool, nightmare dimension, unknown relationships, wow its kinda dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 06:13:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6504037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cast_Away/pseuds/Cast_Away
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Xavier Grimm, and this is the story of how I died.<br/>    Now contrary to popular belief I didn't die for love, or fame, I died because I had no other choice. There is a fine line between the three. Well, who am I kidding, the line between dying for love or dying for fame doesn't exist at all. Some people love for fame or become famous for love, either way it doesn't really matter, you end up dead either way.  I would in fact tell you how I died but that wouldn't work at all because anyone who listens to it will be completely lost if I don't tell the whole story first, the story of how I met Victoria Cardiff and her team, and how I inevitably bit it in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> this is an original work. one of my first, comments are welcome.

ONE   
  
  
My name is Xavier Grimm, and this is the story of how I died.   
Now contrary to popular belief I didn't die for love, or fame, I died because I had no other choice. There is a fine line between the three. Well, who am I kidding, the line between dying for love or dying for fame doesn't exist at all. Some people love for fame or become famous for love, either way it doesn't really matter, you end up dead either way.  I would in fact tell you how I died but that wouldn't work at all because anyone who listens to it will be completely lost if I don't tell the whole story first, the story of how I met Victoria Cardiff and her team, and how I inevitably bit it in the end.    
  
~~~   
  
It started out as any normal Sunday to me, aka sitting at home in my bedroom, attached to my Playstation 3, and kicking some dweeb in some game that I've had for forever.  Depressing, right? Least to say I wasn't the most social of creatures. I'd have been doing this for a couples hours and it was already boring me. What else do sophomores guys do? I don't do parties, and anywhere where there is more than 20 people gave me a panic attack, so what do I do when I'm bored out of my mind on a weekend? Friends? Don't count on it buddy, the only friends I do have are busy with their girlfriends/boyfriends. So no, I had nothing else to do than beating some Russian guy in a game.    
Somewhere along the way I'd gotten enough boredom in my system to say to the weird voice inside my head called my subconscious, Hey why don't we go for a walk? Not to say anything, but that was probably the most stupidest thing I'd ever done. So I do, I get up and go for a walk around the block to fill the endless boredom that had consumed me the entire day. The park next door to my house was empty so I just ended up hanging around out there like a creeper.    
It was like that for a few hours, me by myself, standing on one of the swings and trying to figure out how high I can go before I fall and/or break the damn thing. Have to admit though, I looked pretty cool in that ratty old leather jacket at night like this. Then again it would've been fun if I didn't go out at night like that, submerged in complete and utter darkness save the dying out street lamp 20 feet away. And it's the thing that made me realize what an idiot move this is, I'm utterly terrified of complete darkness. The kind where you can't tell the difference between your eyes open and you're eyes closed. The logical thing to do at this point would've been to go back home to nonexistent family I had, but no, I just had to go and walk around some more convincing myself to suck it up and be a man. What an idiot.    
It wasn't until around two in the morning that I decided to head back to my apartment.  That high end hole in the wall that I happen to live in. When I opened the door nothing extraordinary happens, no Why were you out so late, or I was worried about you, not even a Where were you. And such was my life, living with a mother who is practically nonexistent and essentially living on my own for the majority of the time. And it wasn't to say that my mother was horrible or even mean, no, my mother had been buried mountains and mountains in her work since my dad died. More than half the time she was away on some exotic business trip trying to forget everyone's existence. Not that I blamed her though, of course anyone would be depressed when the person you love is shot in the back by some guy on the brink of society.  I didn't really care though, the never ending expanse of school kind of blocked out any sort of sadness, I was too worried about if I could pass all my classes rather than my mother.    
I would have said that my excuse for lack of caring came from me being so shell shocked that I couldn't function properly, but that wasn't true. I didn't care enough to worry myself with someone dying, even if I was related to them. "Everyone and everything  dies sooner or later," my dad had told me before he ceased to exist. Back then I was crying over finding a run over raccoon in the road on my way home from the middle school I went to at the time. Least to say,  I was never the most compassionate guy.    
Taking in a few more minutes to soak up in my own stupidity, I stepped inside and made my way to my room. The apartment I lived in wasn't always this barren, with a few pieces of furniture here and there, a single flat screen tv in the living room, and around one or two photos and picture frames holding pictures of me as a little kid. The walls were a dull beige with the carpet a russet brown to match, nothing in this place had any real  value to me, if I really wanted I could run away and no one would have know - I used to think that doing that might not have been so bad.  My room was nearly as bad as the rest of the place.    
A single twin bed sat in the corner, accompanied by a dark wooden desk that had papers and other things of like strewn all over the place. A small flat screen embedded in the camouflage green walls was attached to a PS3 and stashed underneath were twenty some odd games, ranging from Left 4 Dead to Batman: Arkham City. The floor was a soft black - or maybe just really dark brown - carpet, a standing floor lamp was at the edge of the bed and in the center of the ceiling laid a barely used light fixture. As soon as the bed was insight I immediately crumpled onto it due to exhaustion and fatigue, the world instantaneously going black.     
  
  
__ _ The world was dark, dark enough to feel it in the crisp cold air. The sound of approaching footsteps alerted me to the coming people, or things it really depends on what was waiting for me in the next five minutes. A sudden sliver of light appeared, immediately giving the faintest hint of light to the strange place I was situated in. The light did nothing to assuage the penetrating fear that stunk in the air surrounding me, neither did it help the fact that I wasn't in a room at all, more or less like a contained field surrounded by wilderness. That didn't make sense though, there was no other noise except the ever encroaching footsteps which seemed more placed on hard marble than on a grassy meadow. Another collective oddness was the lack of life in the strange dream. No birds flapping about in the sky, no squirrels to scurry up trees. Everything was a deadly silent as I stood in the middle of the field.  _ __   
__ _ "Zarin,don't you think we should go after him?" An annoyed female voice came from his left, calling out from far away. A flash of extreme fire red eyes appeared around five feet in front of me, the body attached to those eyes were nowhere to be seen.  _ __   
__ _ "Vitoria, I've told countless of times, the problem is under control." A slightly amused voice replied from where the vivid blazing red eyes hovered in the field, or where ever I was. A sound of not- so- far -off- mumbling altered me to the once again encroaching footsteps. The woman seemed to be getting closer and closer with each breath I took. I was afraid that if I breathed too loudly they'd notice me, now I wasn't sure what would happen if they did, just that it wasn't going to be pretty. With their final step closer, I gasped, unsure of what was to come. Before then I didn't really know if they could see me or not, I was hoping that I would never have to find out. I did.  _ __   
__ _ "Zarin, I do hate to ruin the moment but, we're being watched." She spoke in a soft whisper. Immediately those flashing, dangerous,  ruby red eyes were blazing in the darkness - and they were staring right at me. _ __   
  
  
Gasping, I woke up to my own tousled sandy blonde hair sticking to my forehead with a sheen of sweat covering my face, as well as the rest of my body. Noticing the blankets surrounding me were almost deathly suffocating, I quickly tore them off in attempts to regain my breath. It didn't work, I hadn't had had a panic attack since around eighth grade, I hadn't forgotten the feeling of it either. The crushing weight of anxiety, the quickening of breath only to lose it the next minute,the ninety mile a minute pulsing of my heart that ends up making me feel too lightheaded to function in the end. It all came back.    
After taking a couple deep breaths I was able to regain some sense of control and calmness, looking at the clock I was flabbergasted with what time it was: 8:39 am. School started in 10 minutes, Not good. I jolted out of my room and hurried to get dressed and put my black rimmed glasses over my hazel eyes. Brushing my teeth and sloppily just pouring a handful of Cheerios into my mouth, no doubt spilling some onto the floor, I rushed out of the front door and scurried down the steps in attempts to make it to homeroom before Mr. Carmine takes attendance. Luckily enough for me, I lived only five minutes away from Galitsin High School. My feet zoomed past anyone and anything in my way, I shoved the gigantic 1 inch steel doors and zipped past the main office, taking a right to reach the class on time. Least to say I didn't make it. I pushed the classroom door open only to see Mr. Carmine standing stoically in the front of the class calling out names and taking attendance.    
"Susan Day," he shouted out, getting a resounding yes in reply. "Mr. Grimm, so nice of you to join us on this lovely morning. " he spoke sarcastically while a rumble of thunder boomed out in the distance. If that doesn't say movie villain I don't know does. "Take your seat Xavier. " he told me, going back to his stoic disposition.    
Once he was finished the bell rang, signaling an end to the freedom known as the pre-school morning. My friends, Greyson and Markus come up to me, with indecipherable expressions on their faces, I couldn't tell if they were worried or amused at my late showing up. The awkward silence continued on until Markus couldn't take it anymore.    
"Seriously dude, why the late entrance, Jimmy was starting to worry?" He questioned me with a pained look on his face. Instantly my mood went from bad to worse at hearing this.   
"Panic attack." I mumbled and left it at that, walking away from them in favor of Calculus. The day continued on much the same until lunch, I was sitting down in between my friends, groaning from exhaustion. It was just too much, I was so tempted to do it, so in the end I did. The peace lasted for about ten seconds until I saw it.   
  
  
_ Twenty foot tall columns of fire disrupted the blackness, all to be accompanied by a matching pair of eyes. The fire lit the place that I could now call a cave, to full vibrancy. I could see down in either direction for miles. The stark pitch black cavern didn't scare me, what'd frightened me immensely was that behind two twin pillars laid a thrown unlike no other. A black as night thrown stood merely five feet away, the two poles attached to it were lit on fire, matching the columns decorating the inside. No matter the color of it, the menacing thrown looked like it was carved out of bone. Beside it was a single crown of matching design, as if any who wore it would be feared. _ __   
  
  
A loud thud awoke me,  I startled awake to witness some random girl about a year younger than me fall over her own two feet, all completely normal. Nothing was coming to get me, I was safe, at least that was what I told myself over and over again. I moved my head back to my table annoyed at my own thoughts. I shouldn't have been scared of something- someone, that was only a figment of my useless imagination.     
But that was the thing, I couldn't help but think that this place was real somehow, and everything in it as well. It was an idiotic thought but it still remained, the fear that the fire red eyes were something to be feared was seared into my brain.  I shook my head at the thought, the last thing I needed was to fuss over some nonexistent boogeyman that now haunted my every dream. If I could be sure of one thing, I was sure with one hundred percent confidence that I wasn't going to be getting sleep any time soon.    
The rest of the day was much the same, attempting to keep up in classes I honestly had no real clue about, and just trying to ignore the general public. At the strike of four o'clock I was rushing to get home to the solitude of my own apartment. Soon enough I was there, in the safety of familiarity, hoping to god that my room could protect me from bad dreams. It was a stupid and childish thought, but I would think that I was protected from the world inside my own little bubble. So in order to pull my thoughts from the dreams that had haunted me for the past day I drowned myself in alternate realities (aka video games). By time it was nine o'clock something unexpected happened, my mother came home from whatever her latest business trip was.     
The sound of expensive high heels hitting laminate alerted me to her presence.  I got up from my bed and went to welcome her. She was sitting in the kitchen beside the old, worn table in an equally worn chair. Her dyed blonde hair was in a perfectly painful looking bun, her worn down, flat, muddy brown eyes looked like they'd seen all the grief in the world, her thin lips were pressed into an even thinner line, every facet of her being looked stressed to the tenth degree. Without a word she sighed, stood up, and headed to the dusty under used room she called a bedroom. And with that I sighed and turned towards my own room.    
I was already tired when I came out of my room, going back in I was completely and totally exhausted. I, in turn, decided to- mistakenly- attempt going to back. Testing to see if the terrors that had haunted me for the past day and a half would once again torment me.    
They did. 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xaiver makes a decision, Look a new character, Vick ain't pleased

TWO  
  
  
    Now, I really wish I could tell you that after that, nothing happened and everybody lived happily ever after. But that would be one of the biggest lies I could have ever told someone. Here is the truth:  
    For days on end I was sleep deprived and every time I even thought about closing my eyes was stick between three things - the throne room of hell, the creepy meadow with the disconnected blood red eyes, and things that should never be possible- like a girl with her head on backwards talking to her friends. It went on for days, so bad it seemed like the blur between nightmare and reality was beginning to blur.  
    I would be seeing that pair of eyes following me around the darkened pathways at school, in the mirror - briefly flashing in the background. A few times I was convinced that I heard the woman's voice talking to people that weren't there. At the end of the month I was a jumble of paranoia and mostly unwarranted panic, nothing was safe anymore. School turned into a place for things that go bump in the night to hide in plain sight, the apartment was a place for sitting ducks, friends turned into threats, and common sense flew out the window. Every inch of me was screaming to sleep. So much so that keeping my eyes open brought a burning pain. I was so close to giving in, it was so hard to stay awake and alert.  
    One day I just couldn't take it anymore, I gave in.  
  
    _This time it was different, instead of the physics bending meadow I was in a mansion. Black and gray swirled marble lined the floors, deep green and gold wallpaper was on every wall in the room. An enormous golden fireplace was in the far left wall of the room, mirrored by ornate Victorian era furniture it seemed like. And in one sat the pair of extreme red eyes, this time attached to a body, in another one sat a woman with platinum blonde hair chopped in an undercut, seeming to looking to be only a few years older than me, around 20 or so._ __  
_"Please sit down, Mr. Grimm. Where is our hospitality Victoria?" The black haired man with eyes to alive to be a good thing told me. Looking to the woman with violet eyes I nodded and took a seat in the couch across from him. Fear was radiated from every pore and I knew he could tell somehow. He laughed and airy laugh, to happy and excited for me just completing a simple task. The woman's - Victoria's- eyes were exasperated, as if tired of having to do this all the time . Well that's comforting, I thought._ __  
_"Now Xavier, May I call you that? If you truly don't mind, I would like you to stop doing that thing you've been doing. I have the strangest feeling you don't even want this yourself, so why not just stop. It's the simplest solution to end this. Though, I must say, if you do continue, I will be forced to take action." He explains in an upbeat voice, befitting a child. The slight British accent seeping through. "Any questions?" He asks patiently, as if I am a kindergartener._ __  
_"Yes, actually. What is this place? Why do I see you every time I'm sleeping? What's going on?" I question rapidly. He nods as if everything had already been answered._ __  
_"All will wash away soon enough. All you have to do to get rid of this is simply concentrate. I must say if I do see you here again, you will not return the same way you came back. And trust me, I will know if you even step a foot here. Have a good day now. Pip pip cheerio, and all that." And with a wave of his hand he was gone, flashing away in a thin mist._ __  
"You should really be careful here kid." Victoria speaks from behind me. "This isn't your everyday dimension. You could be killed even without our help. But for now, say goodbye to hell, kid." And with that she was gone and so was I, away from this world of madness .  
  
    Waking up to the screeching sounds of an alarm clock that was big enough to eat a small dog was not fun. My entire body was sore, as if I'd been pelted with chunks of cinder blocks.  The words from the dream were stuck in my mind, bouncing around and festering. "This isn't your everyday dimension."    
    Would that mean it was real? Should I just try and go back to sleep and find out? But then again, the whole, "try and step a foot here again and I will do unspeakable things to you" was putting me off that whole idea. It's just - one time couldn't hurt right? Looking at the time, one time could hurt. I jumped out of by and threw on anything I knew was clean (aka anything that couldn't walk away by itself), and ran like a jackrabbit up the door and to Mr. Carmine's home room door.  
    For once in my high school life, I was there before he even called out the b's. Yay for accomplishment, woohoo. What really was a boost to my ego was the fact that his eyebrows practically high-fived his forehead. Really, now that's what I'm talking about.  
    "M-Mr. Grimm, how lovely of you to actually be here on time this morning. Now if you could only make this a percent fixture, you make actually pass this class." His stuck up voice rings out.  Really, if I weren't so preoccupied I would've smacked that guy at least once. Plus, who ever said I had to be nice. Everything else that day was a complete and total bore, lunch was acquaintance-less and home was home.  
    So I began to think for myself, would it really be that bad? To walk away from here and maybe never come back? The answer was clear in my mind really, perhaps it was all along, whatever happens being back here doesn't matter. Besides what's the worst that could go wrong when you're expecting the worst? Hell, at least I get to do something interesting for once in my life.  
    Now I just need a plan, and not the kind of plan that blows up in your face five seconds later. I could just go off into dreamland blind and just wing it from there, but that's kind of what I'm talking about. That plan has too many variables to be reasonable. Plan B would be to visit there in short increments and to get a bit of the lay of the land, but then there's the whole threat of unspeakable things. In my "professional" opinion, the best way would be Plan C. Which includes me going in here once or twice just to get a feel of it and learn how to wake myself up if I want to get out of dodge. Then, after that, I would go in for real checking out the everything and maybe hiding away somewhere for a while. All in all what could go wrong really? It's all planned out to perfection.  
    One thing to always remember: try not to jinx yourself.  
  
~~~  
  
    This place wasn't as amazing as I remembered it.  
    It had been about three weeks before I ever actually tried to do anything with the so - called dimension of hell - or as I'm calling it - Scare Factor 2.0. This place wasn't all that different than the first times I saw it, still dreary and bit more than a tad psychotic. Really, no joke. The place was like wonderland, but without me having to smoke pot to get there. I heard a rustling from the building in front of me.  Two men, or should I really say creatures in ornate armor were exiting the building and heading straight toward me. The other worldly low fog managed to conceal me quite a bit, masquerading me from harmful eyes. Just as they were about to look at me, a figure bolted in front of their path - in front of me.  
    "M-Ms. Cardiff, how lovely to see you. Is there anything we can do to help you?" One of the men spoke, fearing seating through into his voice. The woman must be important then. She took a step closer and I could see her clearly now, it was Victoria, the woman from earlier. Her blonde hair somehow glowing in the fog while her violet eyes remain clear as crystal.  
    "Yes actually, could you boys go and check to see if there is any evidence of intruders by the main wall, we just got a tip of someone seeing a figure jump over it.  Thank you." They left and she turned toward me, her face lined with barely repressed amusement. "Come on out kid, it's useless to hide when I can see you plain as day behind that corner there." She spoke exasperatedly at me with a slight twinge of madness in those eyes of hers.  
    I stepped out into the open fearing for my own existence, the reality of this was not a good idea becoming clear to me now, very clear. I walked slow and steady steps towards her, well that was until my hoodie got caught on a hook and I stumbled about two feet coward with about as much grace as a hippo tap - dancing. I opened my mouth to make an excuse to being here, but then I thought better of myself. If I was going to die now I think I would prefer to just have it be quick without the torture I would probably receive if I lied right now. So I just looked at her, taking in every aspect, noticing things I hadn't before.  
    Her hair was longer now, as if it'd been months instead of days. Her eyes were much the same, cool and distant, yet always with sadness leaking through as if it's not suppose to be there in the first place. Her full lips almost continuously pulled into a small smirk, a direct contrast to how she's really feeling. She had a small, jagged, almost invisible scar running from her right eyebrow to the side of her head, sticking out from her corpse-like skin tone. Though she may not tower over me, or is even taller than me, she gives off an air that screams intimidation, and is so high above us all that she is royalty in all but blood. When I came into focus, I noticed her staring at me with the same level of scrutiny.  
    "Let me guess kid, you figured 'why the hell not? I've got nothing going for me here anyway.' Am I right or am I right?" She smirked at me with a cruel glint in those shattered eyes. Wow, got it in one. That's a first. I open my mouth to respond but she cuts me off with saying, "you know that if he even looks at his mail in the next five minutes you're dead without a second thought right? Or maybe even he'll decide that wouldn't be enough for not heeding the warning. Oh no, when he's done with you you're going to wish you were dead." She gives a brutal and almost painful sounding laugh. Turning to me her eyes softened somewhat, as if sympathizing for something that hasn't happened yet.  
    "Well, this was fun. I'm just gonna go now. Have a nice day." I squeaked out, turning my back to her. Before I could even make it one step she grabbed the neck of my hoodie and pulled me backwards with strength people her size and people in general shouldn't have. Pulling me to face her she scowled like nothing else, her lips thinning into lines and her eyes going dead.  
    "Listen here buddy, if you think you can make it a mile in either direction, or try to weigh yourself up, you're dead. He will find out - he only knows when somebody enters or leaves - you're just lucky that there actually was a new guy this morning or else up you would be aiming for the gallows. So here's the plan I'm going to get to you out of here the easiest way I know how- by taking you myself." I'm guessing the look of complete and utter confusion and stupidity showed on my face, 'cause she rolled her eyes and smacked me in the head.  
    "Look, the only way to get out without being detected - and in case you haven't been listening, that means death - is to hike all the way up there and step through. And I can't even guarantee that so, yeah. You have no hope without me and only a little bit more hope with me. Got that?" She looked as if I was the one causing all her problems and grant it I probably was. And that was at least better than me dying as soon as I get here but one thing was nagging me: why would she do this? It seemed like her and the creepy British kid were pretty close, so why help me escape?  
    My eyes flitted to the spot where she pointed earlier, it could be worse it was likely only about fifty miles out. It was a densely packed forest and I could tell there was more than one city in place.  To my own eye it looked like an easy trek that could be completed within a few days.  
    I looked to Victoria and I knew my decision. I sighed, resigned to make the best of this mess, almost immediately regretting the decision. But none the less I stepped toward and caught her attention once more.  
    "Yeah, okay. I'll do it." I stuck out my hand and she shook it with a bit more caution than was normal for my standards. After all I'm me - 17 year old, scrawny, nerdy, panicky me - I shouldn't be that intimidating.  
She smiled and somehow that made this all worth it, because as a person forced to wear unauthentic smiles and smirks, I could spots here's a mile away. I managed to get a genuine smile out of the girl. Victory.  
    "Vick, who's that you're with?" A man's voice asked from behind her with a slight Irish accent. With a poker chip in hand he looked at us questioningly. He wore a look of concern that to this day goes unparalleled, as if she was the fragile one in this situation. Victoria's face scrunched up at the name and she takes a deep calming breath, opens her eyes one lid at a time, and put on a fake smile so plastic it belonged on a Barbie doll, yet throughout the entire processed she was relaxed and seemed more content than I'd ever see her.  
    "Hey Donny. What's with you and betting? One day you're luck's gonna run out  and I ain't gonna be there to save ya doll." She responded with the fake smile being switched out for a new one. "Donny, this is Xavier Grimm."


End file.
